Bell cord and receptacle holder



Aug. 26, 1941; E. w. cRUM BELL pom) AND RECE'PTACLE HOLDER Filed June 15, 1939 EMMA wruy tel/M INVENTOR Patented Aug. 26, 1941 UNITED STATES PTENT GFFICE The present invention relates to the holding of. bell cords, waste receptacles and other service articles usually associated with hospital beds.

Special objects of the invention are to provide a device which can be quickly and securely attached to the bed structure and be easily detached and which when so applied will hold the bell cord or. call button within convenient reach of the patient and at thesame time, will support Waste receptacles or other articles in position convenient to the occupant of the bed. r

. Further objects are to provide a holder'of the character outlined, which will fit closely and snugly about the edge of the mattress, so as to be out of the way and so that it cannot annoy or affect the comfort of the patient.

Additional objects are to provide a holder of simple substantial construction, which can be easily kept in clean sterile condition and which will be operative for its purposes in the various positions to which the bed may be adjusted.

Other objects and the novel features by which the purposes of the invention are attainedare set forth or will appear in the course of thefollowing specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrates certain practical embodiments of the invention. The structure however may be further modified and changed all within the true intent and scope of the invention, as will be clear from the following description and claim.

the mattress and having provision at the top for retaining the call cord and means for supporting a bag or other'receptacle at the side or edge of Fig. l is a broken side elevation illustrating the invention applied to a hospital bed.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the device as applied to the bed, the mattress and bed rail to which the support is appliedbeing shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a broken detail illustrating the manner in which the cage-like holder for bags and other receptacles is pivotally and detachably .hung on the upright portion of the clamp member.

Fig. 4 is an edge view showing a modified form of clamp attachable wholly to the mattress.

Figs. 5, 6, 7, are broken detail views of simplified forms of bag supports.

In Fig. 1, part of a conventional hospital bed i is illustrated, comprising a mattress Ill, on a U-shaped clamp adapted to embrace the edge of 5 the mattress.

The clamp'portion of the device is shown as made up of a single piece of fiat strip spring material with a substantially straight intermediate upright portion 14, and with angularly bent laterally projecting portions l5, 16, at the upper and lower ends of such upright portion. The upright portion is of approximately or of slightly less extent than the normal thickness of the mattress and as shown more clearly in Fig 4, the laterally extending arms l5, l6, may be bent at somewhat acute angles, so as to exert a desired forceful clamping and gripping engagement with the upper and lower surfaces of the mattress. The length and convergent inclination of these mattress gripping arms may vary in accordance with the extent of clamping engagement desired. If the clamp is held only to the mattress as intended in the structure shown in Fig. 4, the up per and lower clamp arms may be relatively long but where, as in Figs. 1 and 2, the clamp is directly attached to the bed rail, the laterally extending mattress engaging arms may be shorter.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2, it will be seen that a positive engagement between the clamp andthe bed rail-'l l, is efiected by providing the lower arm'lB, with a reversely bent portion l'l, thus to form a base clamp engageable over the horizontal flange l8, of the bed rail. The outwardly bent portion I1, is shown as terminating ina downwardly angularly bent part l9, engaging against the inner face of the vertical flange 20,

of the rail. The cooperating parts l9, 2%], thus serve as stops to definitely position the clamp on the bed frame, with the upright portion l4 in proper alignment with the edge of the mattress.

The bell cord and switch are retained in position for the convenient use of the patient by a spring hook 2|, formed at the end of the upper mattress engaging arm l5, the same being indicated as opening outwardly toward the upright portion l4, so that the cord may readily be slipped into position therein.

For supporting various receptacles, such as a bag 22, Fig. 1, or a basin, bowl or pan 23, Fig. 2, there is'provided in the illustration, a cage-like frame consisting of a top ring 24, to which are welded or otherwise secured the ends of the crossed U-shaped strips or wires 25, 26.

This supporting frame is shown as pivotally hung to the upright M, by having the end of the U-shaped wire 25, at the back or nearest the support extended upwardly and thence laterally as at 21, Fig. 3, to seat in an opening 28, in the upright and thence upwardly at 29, to lie in back of the upright. A cross bar 30, welded or otherwise secured to the wire 25, below the hooked portion 21, 29, bears against the face of the upright to steady the container and prevent it from rocking too freely across the face of the support.

This open Wire frame form of container is light, easily handled, readily attached to and detached from the holder clamp and is adapted to hold paper bags or like receptacles, as first shown or to support pans, basins, or the like, which will seat in the ring 24, at the upper end of the Wire frame. These wire frame containers are so light that they can be made quite large in size and yet be properly supported by the clamp, particularly in the first form which is held both by the mat tress and by the bed rail.

When the bag holder is not required, it can be quickly and easily unhooked from the clamp and the latter then remain in service simply as a bell cord holder or for like uses.

In some cases, the hanging container may be dispensed with and the bags or other receptacles be directly suspended from the upright portion of the clamp by means of a suitable hook con struction.

Fig. 5 shows a pointed hook 3|, detachably mounted on the upright M, by passing the same through the opening 28, in the upright, the head 32, on the upper end of the hook retaining it in this relation ready to have bags or other receptacles engaged thereon.

In Fig. 6, a hook am is shown permanently riveted in place at 33, on the upright.

In Fig. 7, an integral form of hook 3lb is shown cut out of the material of the upright strip and bent outward and upward to serve as a permanent form of support for a bag or other receptacle.

The clamp fits so fiat and so close to the mattress that it is not in the Way and so may be left in position, even when not in service, ready for use at any time. The first form, which clamps to the bed rail, is advantageously left in place when not in service, because of its effect in holding the mattress in position on the bed frame. As will be clear in Fig. 2, the mattress has a tendency to hold the clamp outward where it is fully engaged over the bed rail, thus obviating the possibility of accidental release of the clamp. The pivotal mounting of the bag holder enables the latter to swing and to hold a vertical position when the bed frame is tilted as in Fig. 1 and the cross bar 30, of the container bearing against the upright l4, controls swinging movement and prevents the container from rocking around toward the edge of the mattress. The bar thus holds the container so that a waste receptacle can not come into contact with the adjoining portion of the mattress. The clamp being made of flat smooth strip stock will not tear or injure the sheets or other bed linen and will slip readily into and out of, position over the edge of the mattress.

The wide flat character of the clamp provides extensive surface engagement with both the mattress and the bed rail, thus assuring firm frictional engagement with both.

What is claimed is:

As a new article of manufacture, a holder for hospital beds, comprising a single length of wide flat strip stock of spring material having an intermediate normally upright straight post portion of a height approximating the thickness of a mattress and flat straight spring arms extending convergently to one side from the top and from the bottom of said intermediate upright post portion to yieldingly grip over the upper and lower faces of a mattress when the upright intermediate pertion is engaged against the edge of a mattress, the inner end of the top arm being turned back into closely overlying position into a flat bell cord receiving hook opening outwardly toward the upright portion, the inner end of the lower arm being turned back under said arm into an underlying hook opening outwardly toward the upright portion and thereby engageable about the inner portion of a bed rail supporting the mattress to retain the holder in upstanding position engaged about the edge of the mattress in opposition to the pull required to disengage a bell cord from the grasp of the outwardly opening bell cord holding hook and said upright intermediate post portion having means for pivotally supporting a hospital receptacle holder or the like.

EMMA WYLLY CRUM. 

